Flow-injection amperometric glucose biosensors based on graphene/Nafion hybrid electrodes

In this research, we demonstrated the fabrication of flow-injection amperometric glucose biosensors based on RGO/Nafion hybrids. The nanohybridization of the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) by Nafion provided the fast electron transfer (ET) for the sensitive amperometric biosensor platforms. The ET rate (k_s) and the charge transfer resistance (R_CT) of GOx-RGO/Nafion hybrids were evaluated to verify the accelerated ET. Moreover, hybrid biosensors revealed a quasi-reversible and surface controlled process, as confirmed by the low peak-to-peak (ΔE_p) and linear relations between I_p and scan rate (ν). Hybrid biosensors showed the fast response time of ∼3 s, the sensitivity of 3.8 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², the limit of detection of 170 μM, and the linear detection range of 2–20 mM for the flow-injection amperometric detection of glucose. Furthermore, interference effect of oxidizable species such as ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) on the performance of hybrid biosensors was prevented at the operating potential of −0.20 V even under the flow injection mode. Therefore, the fast, sensitive, and stable amperometric responses of hybrid biosensors in the flow injection system make it highly suitable for automatically monitoring glucose.     

Photochemical loading of metal nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide sheets using phosphotungstate

Well-dispersed reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) sheets loaded with metal nanoparticles were produced in dimethylformamide (DMF). The r-GO suspension was prepared through the photocatalytic reduction of graphene oxide (GO) using a phosphotungstate as a homogeneous photocatalyst under UV irradiation. Immediately after UV lamp was turned off, the injection of precursors of Ag, Au, and Pd caused the rapid nucleation because photoreduced phosphotungstates as well as electrons stored in r-GO directly reduced metal ions. Furthermore, the r-GO sheets not only provided the nucleation sites but also prohibited the metal nanoparticles from agglomeration. As a result, relatively uniform-sized metal nanoparticles were formed on the r-GO sheets. With phosphotungstates and UV light irradiation, both GO and metal ions can be reduced to form the hybrids of Ag, Au, and Pd/r-GO as a suspension in DMF or an isolated paper sheet without using any toxic reagents.     

Effect of wall friction on variation of formwork pressure over time in self-consolidating concrete

In order to accurately predict the varying of formwork pressure over time, it is necessary to consider various factors influencing the development of formwork pressure. A prediction model has been previously proposed, but that model has some limitations in that only intrinsic material characteristics are taken into account. Extrinsic effects such as wall friction, formwork flexibility, and external temperature are excluded in the model. This study focuses on the wall friction effect as one of the extrinsic factors. First, by incorporating the intrinsic model and friction stress acting on the interface, a method of calculating formwork pressure considering the wall friction effect is suggested. To find out how much friction stress is acting on the interface and how it varies over time, formwork pressure tests were performed with circular column formworks having three different diameters. In these columns, the vertical pressure at the bottom and the lateral pressures were measured. To calibrate parameters of the intrinsic model for the same material as that used in the formwork pressure tests, additional tests were conducted with a specially designed apparatus that can exclude effects of extrinsic factors. From tests and analysis results, it was found that wall friction greatly affects the variation of formwork pressure over time. The newly suggested calculation method can give a good prediction of real formwork pressure.     

Comparison of multi-inlet and serpentine channel design on water production of PEMFCs

Two flow field designs, a new multi-inlet design and a conventional serpentine design, for a PEMFC together with relative humidity (RH) and porosity of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) are studied in relation to net water production using a 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation. The results show that (1) with increasing GDL porosity, discharged water in the serpentine design slightly increases, because accumulated water decreases, whereas discharged water in the multi-inlet design decreases due to a reduction of generated water; (2) although fuel cell power performance improves as RH increases, net water production decreases in both designs, because more water is accumulated; and (3) comparatively higher power and net water production are observed with the multi-inlet design, owing to uniform distributions of reactant gas and water. It is determined that, for net water production without compromising power production, input water should be decreased and, for higher cell performance, flow field design like multi-inlet design should be developed.     

Control of molecular weight distribution for polypropylene obtained by commercial Ziegler–Natta catalyst: effect of temperature

Polymerization of propylene was carried out by using MgCl₂-supported TiCl₄ catalyst in conjunction with triethylaluminium (TEA) as cocatalyst. The effect of polymerization temperature on polymerization of propylene was investigated. The catalyst activity was influenced by the polymerization temperature significantly and the maximum activity of the catalyst was obtained at 40 °C. With increasing the polymerization temperature, the molecular weight of polypropylene (PP) drastically decreased, while the polydispersity index (PDI) increased. The effect of the two-stepwise polymerization procedure on the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of PP was studied and the broad PDI of PP was obtained. It was also found that the PDI of PP could be controlled for propylene polymerization through regulation of polymerization temperature. Among the whole experimental cases, the M _w of PP was controlled from 14.5 × 10⁴ to 75.2 × 10⁴ g/mol and the PDI could be controlled from 4.7 to 10.2.     

Distribution of Triacylglycerols and Fatty Acids in Soybean Oil with Thermal Oxidation and Methylene Blue Photosensitization

Profiles of triacylglycerols (TAG) and fatty acids were compared in soybean oil thermally oxidized at 180 °C for 60 min or methylene blue photosensitized for 10 h. Headspace oxygen in thermally oxidized and photosensitized soybean oil decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as oxidation time increased. Relative contents of linoleic and linolenic acids decreased and those of oleic acid increased during oxidation. In both thermal and photosensitized oxidation, TAG with lower than 44 equivalent carbon number including dilinoleoyllinolenoylglycerol (LLLn, 40), trilinolein (LLL, 42), oleoyllinoleoyllinolenoylglycerol (OLLn, 42), dilinoleoyloleoylglycerol (LLO, 44), and dilinoleoylpalmitoylglycerol (PLL, 44) significantly decreased, while those with dioleoyllinoleoylglycerol (OOL, 46) increased significantly in relative peak areas (p < 0.05). Photosensitized oxidation decreased TAG containing linoleic and linolenic acids significantly faster than thermal oxidation in soybean oil (p < 0.05), which may be due to the singlet oxygen reaction. Photosensitized soybean oils can be differentiated from thermally oxidized samples using the distributions of TAG by principal component analysis.     

Temporary Increase of PPAR-γ and Transient Expression of UCP-1 in Stromal Vascular Fraction Isolated Human Adipocyte Derived Stem Cells During Adipogenesis

In this study, cells from the stromal vascular fraction of human subcutaneous tissues were induced to differentiate toward adipose cells in vitro for 2 weeks. During adipogenic differentiation, we followed the chronological changes in their morphology with Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy and checked the PPAR-γ and UCP-1 expression with RT-PCR. On day 4 after inducing adipogenic differentiation, CARS imaging showed multiple small lipid droplets (LD) distributed peripherally along the cellular membrane. PPAR-γ began to express at this time and increased until day 14 at a steady rate. On day 7, the cells appeared as brown adipocytes with numerous small LD throughout the cytoplasm, and the mRNA level of UCP-1 rose abruptly by 6- to 7-fold. After an additional 7 days, CARS imaging showed the development of a large LD, which is characteristic of white adipocytes, and the mRNA level of UCP-1 slumped significantly. These results demonstrate the possibility that ADSC pass through a brown adipocyte-like stage while differentiating into white adipocytes.     

Preparation of Ni-coated TiC particles using potential hydrogen (pH) for dispersion into a molten metal

Titanium carbide (TiC) particles have been coated with nickel (Ni) particles to increase compatibility between the TiC particles and the metal matrix based on Ni, leading to the improvement in the dispersion of TiC particles into a molten matrix, as functions of the potential hydrogen (pH) of TiC suspension, and the heat-treatment condition. The TiC particles were dispersed into the aqueous solution with various pH values, and then nickel nitrate (Ni(NO₃)₂) as a Ni precursor was added at the TiC suspension. As the pH is increased the content of Ni phase on the surface of TiC particle is increased, due to the increment of attractive force between the TiC particle and the Ni ion by the augmentation of negative value on the surface of TiC particle. The Ni-coated TiC particles heat treated at 500 °C under H₂ atmosphere indicate the TiC and Ni phases only, whereas those heat treated at 1000 °C under Ar atmosphere show a titanium oxide (TiO₂) with the TiC and Ni phases, which is resulted from the oxidation of TiC particle by oxygen contained in Ar gas. The dispersibility of TiC particles into a molten metal would be improved through the coating of Ni particles (or phase), inducing the improvement and reliability of mechanical properties.     

Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of sesamol and free radical scavengers at different heating temperatures

Sesamol is a natural antioxidant found in sesame oil from roasted sesame seeds. Activation energy and antioxidant capacity of sesamol were determined and compared with other free radical scavengers (FRSs) including tert‐butylated‐hydroxyquinone (TBHQ), butylated‐hydroxyanisol (BHA), or α‐tocopherol in a lard model system treated with different heating temperature. Each FRS was added in lard and heated at 90, 120, 150, and 180°C for 48, 24, 8, or 2 h, respectively and antioxidant capacity was evaluated by conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) value, conjugated diene hydroperoxides, p‐anisidine value (p‐AV), and a modified 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Apparent activation energy of sesamol was determined as 12.98 kcal/mol in a lard model system. Antioxidant capacity of sesamol was as good as that of TBHQ and was higher than those of BHA and α‐tocopherol at 90, 120, and 150°C based on CDA, conjugated diene hydroperoxides, and p‐AV assays. The results of a modified DPPH method showed that each FRS showed different distribution of radical scavenging compounds from oxidized lipids (RSOLs) during oxidation. Sesamol may replace synthetic FRSs like TBHQ and BHA in processed foods treated with high temperature. Practical application: Processed foods are frequently treated with high temperature during oven‐drying, roasting, baking, and deep‐fat frying. This study showed that sesamol, one of natural antioxidants, had stronger antioxidant capacities than other synthetic FRSs at the temperature ranges from 90 to 180°C. The results of this study can be applied in food industries producing deep‐fat fried foods including snacks, chips, and French fries to extend the shelf‐life of final foods with high temperature treatment.     

A visual study on flame behavior in tone-excited non-premixed jet flames

A visualization study on the effect of forcing amplitude in tone-excited jet diffusion flames has been conducted. Visualization techniques are employed using optical schemes, which are a light scattering photography. Flame stability curve is attained according to Reynolds number and forcing amplitude at a fuel tube resonant frequency. Flame behavior is globally grouped into two from attached flame to blown-out flame according to forcing amplitude; one sticks the tradition flame behavior which has been observed in general jet diffusion flames and the other shows a variety of flame modes such as the flame of a feeble forcing amplitude where traditionally well-organized vortex motion evolves, a fat flame, an elongated flame, and an in-burning flame. Particular attention is focused on an elongation flame, which is associated with a turnabout phenomenon of vortex motion, and on a reversal of the direction of vortex roll-up. It is found that the flame length with forcing amplitude is the direct outcome of the evolution process of the formed inner flow structure. Especially the negative part of the acoustic cycle under the influence of a strong positive pressure gradient causes the shapes of the fuel stem and fuel branch part and even the direction of vortex roll-up to dramatically change.